Each year millions of Americans engage in the time-honored practice of making resolutions they intend to keep for the coming year. They rarely get to the halfway point before giving up. Nonetheless, I have a few. Some spiritual. Others health related. Almost none dealing with travel, although I really want to make a trip to the United Kingdom, where we have British friends with whom I served in the military.
Yet there are some national resolutions I would like to address. I hope America will pursue them in the coming year.
First, get the national debt under control: It’s $36 trillion and counting. Think about it. Our entire Gross National Product is just $29 trillion. In simple terms, that means that our national debt is 20% higher than everything we produce. That is obscene. How do we fix it? Well, if you don’t cut discretionary spending and entitlements, you won’t. Period. Full stop. Don’t look for excuses. Big spenders have worked tirelessly—on both sides of the aisle—to expand Social Security benefits to people who have NEVER paid a penny into the system. Moreover, the boondoggle called Obamacare has essentially extended benefits designed for the needy to able-bodied people. Long ago, we changed our national motto of E Pluribus Unum, that is, “Out of Many One” to Habemus id venire ad nos, or “We Have it Coming to Us.” We are a greedy people. Be it resolved: Stop this spending nonsense.
Second, rebuild our military: Our military is simply too small to handle the large scale combat operations that are surely in our future. And putting that off a moment longer is utterly irresponsible. Yes, that will cost money. How do we afford that? First eliminate the billions of dollars of waste in the Pentagon and redeploy it to recruiting, acquiring the warfighting systems we need to defend this nation, and promptly end any expenditure (DEI and feel-good nonsense) that doesn’t have a DIRECT connection to producing combat warriors. Be it resolved: Be the toughest guy in the neighborhood.
Third, pass a constitutional amendment for term limits: It is time we reconnected with the founding vision. Our founders truly believed that one enters elected service with the intent to serve the nation and then return to civilian society where you live under the same laws you write for everyone else. We no longer have an elected class that does that. They are careerists and love the power, money, influence, and the potential largess that comes from eventual lobbyists jobs where they use their connections to further spend money we do not have. I say (others may differ) that 12 years in the House and 12 years in the Senate is all you need. If you can’t accomplish your goals in that time span, you don’t need more time in office. You need to be out of the office. Time to send the eternally elected to their home turf. Be it resolved: End the perpetual oligarchy.
Fourth, get serious about our role in the world: Whether you like it or not, the US is a force for good. Yes I know—and agree—that the years of counter insurgencies we’ve engaged in have taken a toll on Americans who are truly war weary. But we are the indispensable free nation in the world. If you don’t believe that, you have no understanding of history. And with that greatness comes responsibility. Now hear me on this. We do not need to be the world’s policeman. However, we do have enormous diplomatic, informational, military, and economic power that we can use to enhance our national interests. There is no sin in that. We have the right to influence things that are in our best interest. And one of the ways we do that is to use our significant power to deter others from harming us or damaging our national interest. What is that national interest? An international order that is aligned with our world view including individual liberties, fair trade, and respect for the rule of law. Be it resolved: Be responsible in keeping America first.
Fifth, deal decisively with radical Islamist terror: For too long we’ve been overly concerned with hurting the feelings of the politically correct and not calling for what must be done to eliminate radical Islamist terror. Any group that calls for the death of others motivated by religious zealotry has no place in the civilized world. It’s time to do what must be done. Defeat it. And that means calling it what it is. Uncivilized barbarism that must be defeated. Don’t believe me. Ask the people of New Orleans. There innocent people were crushed under a pickup truck driven by a hateful zealot. Be it resolved: Eliminate the terrorists once and for all.
Happy New Year.
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